


Tangled Carrots

by piscesroyalty



Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: AU, Carrots, F/M, Humor, Rapunzel AU, Romance, Tangled AU, lots of carrots
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-31
Updated: 2016-07-15
Packaged: 2018-07-11 07:40:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,562
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7038877
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/piscesroyalty/pseuds/piscesroyalty
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>For eighteen years, she’s lived in a tower of isolation. But when a handsome stranger comes climbing through the window, she questionably resolves to go on a journey with him to discover the origins of the mysterious flying carrots she’s always seen from the window on her birthday. Join in on the adventure, the musical shenanigans, and the carrots as she unravels the mystery of her identity.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. A Story Sprouts

"This is a story of rebirth..."

"Fluff, hun, that's not how the script goes."

"I don't _like_ the script's diction, though. I mean, aren't _you_ supposed to be saying this part?"

"Didn't we both agree that _you_ would be doing the introduction?"

"Losing a game of rock-paper-scissors isn't the same as a mutual agreement."

"Ah, yes. But the terms of loss had been previously agreed upon, so speak up, Fluff."

"Sometimes, I really hate your snark."

"Oh...you know you love me."

"I do...most of the time."

"Wow. Well now my poor feelings are hurt. If you don't want me to die of a broken heart, you should probably read from the script."

" _Fine,_ you sly fox. But I'm reading it _my_ way."

"Well...go on..."

"...Oh...well, once upon a time, the sun hovered in the sky-"

"Do you mean to say the sun doesn't still hover in the sky?"

"No-!"

"-because I can go check right now to disprove that claim."

"Look, that was just for storytelling purposes. Just let me tell the story."

"Ha! As you wish, Fluff."

"Well...Once upon a time, the sun hovered in the sky, its gentle light guiding the creatures beneath. As lovingly warm as the sun was, however, the beings in its realm were not quite as so. Some bared their fangs at one another, while others utilized the threat of social downfall to maintain their threshold of power. Seeing this as overseer of the kingdoms beneath, the sun grieved, for it only wished its creatures to happily coexist.

"One day, a drop of sunlight rolled off the cheek of the sun. Parting wispy clouds of pure white, a tear of gold dripped down and kissed the earth beneath.

"Coincidentally, at the same spot the sun's rain had fallen, had been a single carrot. _This_ is where our story truly begins..."

* * *

She groans as she pushes through the ferns, just hoping she won't have to pick out the leaves later from her hooves. As she traipses through the undergrowth, she contemplates her purpose. After all, she honestly doesn't _need_ this. It's just insurance, really — in case something goes wrong. Although she really doubts _anything_ could go wrong, considering the _precision_ of her minions.

But there's never anything wrong with having an insurance policy, she assumes.

The unfortunate thing is: insurance is surprisingly hard to get. Turns out, you can't just check in to your friendly neighborhood insurance company and ask to purchase some liquid sun for two reasons: companies barely exist — none of the two existing ones have _anything_ to do with insurance — and insurance doesn't even _exist_ in the 17th century.

Unfortunate, really.

There's also the problem of: if no one _sells_ sunlight, then how is one supposed to _get_ it?

Liquid sunlight is difficult to find, and aimlessly wandering around has done her little good. Sunlight really _doesn't_ just fall anywhere.

She pushes through yet some _more_ ferns and miscellaneous plants, griping all the way. If she doesn't find this darn thing within the next few days, she's just going to have to give up and proceed with her plans _without_ the-

A burst of brilliance ignites in her vision, and the night sky is suddenly engulfed in golden hue. For a brief second, she forgets everything, gaping at the beautiful eclipse of night and day.

But then she brings her eyes from the sky and back down to the earth. With a smirk on her face, she scrambles forward, underbrush crunching beneath her hooves.

Just a bit ahead, there's a sprout of leaves with a fluorescent green glow and she just _knows_ that all her waiting has finally paid off. There are pebbles in her hooves, leaves in her wool, but she doesn't care.

Because she can finally end this search and begin her ultimate plan.

When she's only a step away from the plant, the green of her eyes matches _its_ ethereal green. Slowly, she raises a hoof towards it, breath catching slightly in her throat. Delicately balancing the leaves between two hooves, she gingerly plucks them from the earth.

The world once again bursts into shades of gold, and she can only gape at the splendor.

They're more beautiful than anything she's ever seen before. They shine splendidly in the moonlight, so brilliantly that even the murky air around them seems to glitter. They're a ray of a sunlight she can physically hold in her small hooves. They're carrots.

They're... _carrots._

She knows at this part she's supposed to test the powers of the sun, but she hadn't anticipated she would have to change the chant according to... _carrots._

Wasn't sunlight normally attracted to flowers?

Why _carrots?_

Of all things... _carrots?_

"Well, um..." She coughs, patting down her wool. "Not sure how this song will go, but I guess I could try." She looks frantically around her slight figure, in search of something that would require healing.

Not a scratch.

Now she wishes she had just walked _head-on_ through the underbrush, because then there would have been small scratches at least _somewhere_ on her body. But _no,_ aside from the occasional leaf and clump of dirt, she's in mint condition.

How ironically unfortunate.

Well, there's that crack in her hoof she got several years ago after running from a cheetah. While she would like to point out that outrunning a cheetah is not _impossible,_ it's very much not recommended. She's quite confident to say she's probably lost a lung from that excursion.

But there's a crack in her hoof, and she's going to fix it. With some magic carrots.

Her life just seems more and more ridiculous the more she ponders over her circumstances.

Again, she clears her throat, ready to rock the night with her singing.

(She's kidding; she's far too awkward to pull _that_ off.)

Quietly and hesitantly, she sings, closing her eyes shut.

_...Carrot...gleam and glow,_

_Let your power shine._

_Make the clock reverse;_

_Bring back what once was mine,_

_What once was mine._

She cracks open one eye, breath cradled in her cheeks. Then...she takes a bite from a carrot's leaf.

Her body begins to tingle, and she can feel the warmth of the sun embracing her entire figure. The universe whispers gently in her ear, and for a second, she _swears_ she can just barely touch an infinite source of knowledge.

There's a gentle breath of air on her hoof, just where it's cracked. It feels like it's being kissed by the sun's rays and she can feel the crack stitching itself together again.

The world flashes from gold to midnight, and suddenly she is left with nothing but a repaired hoof and the taste of sun on her lips.

It works. It _works._ She's overtaken with joy, but it lasts for a brief moment because just a little bit in the distance, she can hear a muffled speech. A bright beam of light blots her vision.

"I think I saw something!" One of the voices is gruff and drawing ever nearer.

She panics, dropping the carrots on the dirt floor. Shaking, she tries to kick some stray leaves on the carrots, but in her haste, never completely covers the vegetable enough to mask the distinct glow. Without checking, she clops away in a rush, uneasy to be caught by the Royal Guard before ever beginning her master plan.

Just when she's run for at least two minutes, however, she can hear two gasps in unison, followed by a "We've found it!"

She swivels around in shock.

No, they couldn't have-

"We need to bring this to the Queen, quickly!"

"No," she hisses.

Those pesky royal _brats_ were _always_ going to have to get in her way, _weren't_ they?

* * *

"See, at this time, the queen of the Western Kingdom had been gravely ill from the pain of childbearing. So they said, 'Let her have cake.' They chopped up one of the golden carrots and gave her a magical carrot cake.

"And a few days later, a beautiful, healthy baby bunny was born. To celebrate her birth, the King and Queen launched a flying carrot lantern into the sky. And for that one moment, everything was perfect."

* * *

She clicks her tongue, heart beating straight out of her chest. The Queen's baby had just been born the night before, and midnight _always_ seems like a good time to break into a castle, right?

_Wrong._

She can't see a single thing, and she's sure the guards are just as incompetent during the _day_ as they are at _night_. After all, she's stolen an entire _diamond_ from them once, right under their _noses._

So, _why_ did she think it would be a good idea to go castle-climbing in the middle of the _night,_ when she could _just as well_ do it during daytime?

The answer to that is she probably wasn't thinking at all.

Every time she moves an inch upwards, she lets out something along the lines of "Oh, _blueberries"_ or "You lousy sack of _plums."_

Honestly, castle-climbing would be a lot easier if she had opposable thumbs. Except joke's on the universe because she _doesn't_ and she has _no idea_ why she's risking her life in order to obtain some _carrots._

_Carrots._

She recalls the popular song "When Will My Life Begin" and would like to pitch a spin-off titled "When Will My Life Make Sense."

And the more she attempts to climb a stone castle with her bare hooves, the more she's convinced the answer is: _Never._

She latches onto another stone, but it refuses her; just as she places one hoof on it, a section of it crumbles, and she's left falling to her doom.

By doom, she means she falls one foot. The foot that she jumped up to to begin her epic journey to the princess' room.

Clearly, castle-climbing is not working. Maybe she should just go back to being a traveling hermit for another drop of sunlight.

Ha.

Ha.

Funny.

She hears something slam open to her left, and she's immediately alert. A whistling guard carrying a lantern waltzes into a-

She smirks. Surprise, surprise. There's a secret staircase. And the guard left the door _wide open._

She tip-hooves up to the entrance. With a quick glance left and right, she scurries up the staircase.

* * *

It was an agonizing ten minutes, but she's finally made it up the stairs.

If she's lost _one_ lung from outrunning a cheetah several years ago, she's _definitely_ lost the _other_ one just from climbing up these _stairs_.

Taking a deep breath, she peers around the room. The King and Queen are sleeping soundly, and tucked snugly in the corner is the baby's cradle.

She smirks.

Quietly as she can, she cautiously inches towards it.

Soon. Soon. Her plan is so close she can just _taste_ the power.

Cradled in the baby's tiny paw is a single golden carrot.

 _Gazelles,_ has she never loved seeing a carrot more.

Leaning into the child's crib, she, in a falsely loving tone, begins to serenade it. "Carrot, gleam and glow." She motions towards the carrot, which to its credit, indeed begins to glow. "Let your powers shine." She pushes the carrot out from the bunny's hand and begins to take a few steps back. "Make the clock re-"

Suddenly, the light begins to dim and she can feel the carrot lose its radiating warmth. She swivels her attention from the sleeping baby to the carrot in hand.

No. How is this possible? This didn't happen the _first_ time she had-

The baby lets out a soft whimper in her sleep. Rolling in bed, it begins to feel around. When it finally touches something in the corner of the crib, it lets out a small giggle and pulls it close to its body.

The thing is a carrot. A regular carrot. An orange carrot.

Or, at least, it _was_ an orange carrot.

Cradled in the child's arm, the carrot begins to take on a golden hue.

Even as she sees this with her own two eyes, she can't believe it. But the once golden carrot in her hand has begun to rot, and now there's a child right in front of her that possesses the ability to  _produce_ golden carrots.

 _Rotten_ carrot or _infinity_ carrots?

Infinity carrots it is.

The next minute seems to go by in a blur. Suddenly, the child is in her arms. Suddenly, erratic wailing resounds far too close to her eardrums. Suddenly, she can see two new pairs of eyes on her followed by a collective gasp. Suddenly, she hears the word, " _Guards!"_ but it's already too late. Suddenly, she has somehow survived a jump from the tower's balcony to the castle floor. Suddenly, she has stolen into the night.

Her mission is finally a go.

* * *

"Bellwether _broke_ into the castle, _stole_ the child, and just like that — _gone_."

"Oh, the injustice! I just _swoon_ wondering what happened to that _poor_ baby. By the way, way to reveal Bellwether's identity."

"Her identity wasn't even supposed to be a secret."

"Well, what's the fun of a mystery when you give it all away? I mean, _spoiler alert,_ Fluff."

"This story isn't a mystery. And you already _know_ the ending. You're _part_ of the story."

"That reminds me; when will I finally make my appearance?"

"Hmph. With _that_ attitude, I'll make sure you don't pop in _any time soon."_

"What? Hey... _hey._ I was just joking around, Fluff. Hey! Don't hop away from me!"

"Well, if you want to appear soon, you better hustle, sweetheart."


	2. She Wants to Find Her Roots

"The kingdom searched and searched but they could not find the princess. For deep within the forest, in a hidden tower, Bellwether raised the child as her own-"

"That sounds biologically impossible."

"Well, for _your_ information-"

"Did you actually believe that you — a bunny — were the biological offspring of a _sheep_ for eighteen years?"

"It's not like I'd ever had contact with anyone other than her-"

"But didn't you read books?"

"Hey! None of them covered biology!"

"Did they not cover common sense either, Fluff?"

"..."

"Awww, come on. Don't pull that sad face. You know I was just joking, right?"

"Do I know that?"

"Yes, yes you do."

* * *

"Alright." Bellwether places her hoof on Judy's head, soothingly petting her. "Repeat it just like I taught you."

"Yes, 'Wether," Judy responds, squeezing her eyes shut; the light always _did_ hurt her eyes. With a light breath, she begins. "Carrot, heal what has been hurt." She gently places a paw on a carrot. "Change the fate's design." Even with her eyes closed, a brilliant gold permeates her vision like watercolor. "Save what has been lost; bring back what once was mine..." Squinting her eyes open, Judy offers the carrot to Bellwether. "What once was mine."

Bellwether takes the carrot, the sun lighting in the pastures of her eyes. She takes a bite, and in a moment, she can feel her heavy wool lighten and the luster restoring in her curls.

Turns out, the golden carrots are a golden _dream,_ with the power to heal anything.

Age included.

Okay, age isn't something you can heal. Maybe. Sort of. Just a little...maybe. See, little Judy here can fix Bellwether's fading eyesight and shedding with a simple wave of a magic carrot.

It's been seven long years dealing with this bunny child and she hasn't gotten used to the phrase "Magic Carrot."

She probably never will, either.

Suddenly, Judy chirps, "'Wether, when can I go outside?"

Bellwether's eyes widen, and she stops chewing. The carrot almost falls from her grasp but she manages to barely catch it by the leaves.

_Outside_?

A part of her wants to tell the bunny a firm, "No. You're _never_ leaving this tower," but another side of her _knows_ that she has to be a mother-

_Ewe._

She's too young to be a mother.

Well, actually, no she's not _anymore,_ but considering her physical looks thanks to the... _carrots,_ she can sure _pretend_ she is.

"'Wether?" the child repeats.

See, she's even conditioned the child not to call her mother but to consider her a mother _figure._ Like a friend who simply raises a child, teaches the child morals — except maybe not "Don't steal" since that would make her _quite_ the hypocrite — feeds the child, dresses the child, takes care of the child...

Basically a mother.

_Ewe._

She refuses that title; she's never _wanted_ kids. The only thing she _wants_ to raise is a _kingdom_.

She'd rather take care of a _crown_ than a _child._

Because for starters, crowns don't breathe, or eat, or _fart._

_Oh,_ can Judy _fart_ sometimes.

"'Wether?"

"Oh, Judy..." What reason could she satisfactorily bull-toot today? "The...the..." Well, here's a somewhat satisfactory and semi-truthful answer. "The outside world is a dangerous place, filled with predators that'll eat you up. So shush with that thought."

"Pred-a-toors?"

"No, carrot. _Predators._ Animals that feed on other animals. Especially smaller ones. Especially _especially_ bunnies."

"But... _I'm_ a-"

"Yes, carrot, you're a bunny."

"A bunny?"

"Yes, a bunny."

"But...you like to call me a carrot."

"No, that's just an affectionate nickname-"

"Am I a carrot or a bunny, 'Wether?"

"Carrot, you're a bunny."

"Then why do you call me a carrot?"

"Oh my _blueberries..._ why do you do this to me?"

* * *

"So...?"

"So what?"

"So _are_ you a carrot?"

"No, of _course-_ "

"I think you've committed some kind of identity fraud there. Always telling me that you were a bunny, when really you were a...a c- _carrot."_

"I'm _not_ a carrot."

"And _I'm_ not a fox."

"Yeah. You're _annoying."_

"Sweetheart, that's pretty harsh."

"Oh."

"..."

"Hey, don't sulk."

"..."

"H-hey, I'm sorry-"

"Oh, _woe_ is me. I could never _possibly_ accept your apology until you utter the _magic words!"_

"Don't you _dare."_

" _Oh!_ What's that sound? Just my heart _shattering_ into pieces!"

"..."

"If _only_ you would just say-"

"...I'm a carrot..."

"What's that?"

"I'm a carrot."

"Speak up, sweetheart. I can't hear you."

" _I'm a carrot."_

"Ahh, _much_ better. Now, please continue with your story."

"... _So..._ even though Bellwether had tried her best to hide the princess' identity, the walls of the tower could not hide everything. Each year, on her birthday, the King and Queen released thousands of floating lanterns into the sky, in hopes that one day, their lost princess would return."

"But there are so many bunnies, Fluff. How would they know which one is _her?"_

"Good question, actually. When Bellwether stole her, the princess had actually been holding onto a doll. It had been a small doll specially presented to the Princess by a fairy at her birth, and the King and Queen never told the kingdom what the doll looked like, ensuring that it would be one of a kind."

* * *

She twirls the doll around by its paws, watching delightedly as the pink gingham dress of the stuffed rabbit flutters in the breeze.

"Tomorrow's a big day!" she squeals.

"Tomorrow's a big day!" the petite doll excitedly repeats.

Holding the doll to her chest, she asks it, "Do you want to play cop or robber?"

"...robber?" it perfectly mimics.

"Yes! Then I'm cop again!" She jumps around in excitement, even though in full knowledge that she has perfect control over when the doll records her words.

Spinning it around, she scurries to grab her other dolls — ones that 'Wether had so kindly gifted her from the outside world.

"7 a.m. the usual morning lineup." Tongue sticking out, a pen and notepad in hand, she takes a sketch of her first suspect. "Start on the rabbit..." She looks at the rabbit doll, doing her best to imitate an intimidating police glare.

Unfortunately, she has no way to judge how she's doing, considering she's never seen a policeanimal outside of that one book before.

"...and ask 'til the alibi's clean." As she points at the doll, her tone becomes increasingly lyrical. "Investigate evidence, and press, say 'fess up; ask again, and by then it's like..." She glances at the clock. Ears drooping a little, she looks back at the rabbit plush and mumbles, "...7:15."

Looking towards her other dolls, she attempts to renew her will to interestingly spend her endless time in the tower. "And so I'll ask a witness, or maybe two or three. I'll add a few new sketches in case they flee." With an iron grip on her notepad, she takes her sweet time on the sketch of the suspect, making sure that every stroke is absolutely perfect.

Otherwise, there would _really_ be nothing to do.

In fact, she decides to draw another sketch...and maybe two or three more.

Too bad it's only, like, 9:00 a.m. by the time she's done with all her extremely detailed sketches.

"I'll play good cop-" Judy flashes a bright smile at the robber. "-and then bad cop-" She turns her smile upside down now, attempting to snarl. "-and basically-" If possible, her lips drop even more, matching the drooped angle of her ears. She shuffles slowly towards the window. Every day since she can remember, she has stood in front of that window, paw reaching towards the light of the sun but never being able to attain it. "-just wonder: _when will my life begin?"_

Suddenly swiveling, now with her back against the light, she plasters a new smile on her face. "Then after questioning, it's shaking and pressing. Cross examination, a bit more 'til they confess. Forensic analysis-" She whips out a magnifying glass, inspecting her suspect. "-and staking a crime setting. Clues, I'll fetch! They may be sketch..." Judy suspiciously eyes the doll. "Take a hike, maybe confess!" Arms crossed, she finally lays her paw down.

The suspect blankly gazes at her.

"Did you or did you _not_ commit the crime?" she asks.

Again, the suspect says and does nothing.

So she glares at them, as the singular ray of sunlight begins to wane.

Then, after a good five minutes, it finally dawns on her: she's pressing a _doll._

See, sometimes she gets so into her roleplaying that she forgets that the other party isn't animate.

Sighing, she decides to just continue her silly ditty, "And I'll ask some more; there's a quota, can't spare. I'll sketch suspects some more, I'm sure-" She flips desperately through her notepad, frown growing deeper at each page when she realizes that there's more pen then there is blank space. "-I'm sure there's room somewhere," she whispers, more as an idealistic self-reassurance than actual belief in her words.

Traipsing lightly and slowly back towards the narrow window, she sighs again. Somewhat indignant, she crosses her arms and mimics 'Wether. "Oh Judy, shush and shush, and shush about going out there...stay stuck in this same place you've always been." One paw on the windowsill, she reaches her other paw out, hoping that just _one drop_ of sunlight would fall onto her, would bless her.

As if she were confiding to the sun, she whispers, "And I'll keep wonderin' and wonderin' and wonderin' and wonderin'...when will my life begin?"

Maybe the sunlight would momentarily blot out her vision and her fear, and she would finally gain the courage to leave here on her own.

Hugging the rabbit to her chest, she tells it, "Tomorrow night, the carrots will appear, just like they do on my birthday each year." Turning the doll around, she asks it, "What is it like out there where they glow? Now that I'm older, 'Wether might just let me go..."

As if in response to her wishes, the sunlight gleams brilliantly in the beads of her doll's eyes, matching the familiar glint returning into hers.

"Okay." Unable to contain her excitement, Judy begins nervously hopping around her small room. "Today's the big day. I'm going to do it. I'm finally going to ask 'Wether if I can go outside and see the floating carrots!"

"Judy!" She coincidentally hears a muffled voice call. Hoofsteps clop awkwardly up two dozen more flights of stairs. Hearing the familiar sound of the door unlocking from the other side, Judy excitedly skips up to greet Bellwether.

The door flings open, revealing a tired Bellwether with ruffled wool and a basket full of forest grub in hoof.

"'Wether!" Judy exclaims, instinctively reaching out to receive Bellwether's cloak.

"Ah, Judy!" Bellwether wipes the sweat from her brows. "How I manage to do that every single _day_ without _fail..._ it's absolutely _exhausting,_ carrot."

"Oh..." Judy awkwardly giggles, not knowing what to say. "It can't be _that_ bad, can it?"

Bellwether stares at her, a grimace on her face. "Does it look like I'm getting any younger to you?"

Judy has to suppress an obligatory but probably undesired: _Well, it's not like I've ever seen you age since I've been born._

"Oh, carrot, I'm just _teasing."_ Bellwether laughs, voice cracking as usual. Tossing her cloak unceremoniously onto the floor — instead of Judy's arms, for once — Bellwether walks towards the kitchen area.

Following hurriedly behind Bellwether, Judy tries to pipe up, "Well, 'Wether, you know, tomorrow's a very big day."

"Hmmm?" Bellwether begins to stack the apples on the table. "What do you mean by that?"

_This is it._ Judy tells herself. _All her life has led up to this one moment. She has to make this good._

"Tomorrow's my birthday!"

Bellwether pauses for a moment, as if contemplating for a second the apple she's holding. Then, she laughs. "No, no, no, carrot. I distinctly remember: your birthday was last year."

"Well, 'Wether, that's the thing about birthdays...they're kind of an annual thing." Judy nervously begins playing with one of her ears. Taking a deep breath and shutting her eyes as tightly as she can, she hurriedly blurts out, "I want to see the floating carrots!"

With her heightened sense of hearing, she can hear an apple plummet to the ground. When she opens her eyes, she swears that _for a second,_ Bellwether had been glaring at her.

"Floating carrots?" Bellwether chortles, brushing the air just as how she's trying to brush off the topic. "There's no such thing."

"No, 'Wether." Judy shakes her head. "I see them _every year,_ and _only_ on my birthday."

"You know what else you do _every year_ and _only on your birthday?"_

"No?"

"I pick mushrooms up from the forest and you eat them for dinner."

"What does _that_ have to do with anything?"

"It means I should start consulting the Forest's Almanac of Dangerous Greenery before I feed you mushrooms."

"...I don't get it."

"It's better that you don't."

"But-"

Taking Judy by the paws, Bellwether stares deeply into her eyes. "Look. Judy, just listen to me."

The second she clears her throat, Judy bites her lips.

Oh no.

Not another song.

She literally _just_ sang the obligatory fairy tale song this morning, and now Bellwether's about to sing one too.

All in the same chapter.

_Gazelles,_ no.

Bellwether opens her mouth and Judy knows there's no stopping her now.

_Acquiesce everything_ , she tells herself.

"You want to go outside?" Bellwether asks, clopping against the stone floor to don her cloak again, her eyes never leaving Judy's. "Oh, _why_ , Judy? Look at you; you look at me, you cower."

Judy can't help but look away.

Well, Bellwether's not wrong. In fact, Judy's shaking a little.

Petting Judy's head, Bellwether continues singing. "Still a little kitten, just a sprout." Suddenly, her voice is softer, tone more interrogative. "Judy, you know why we stay in this tower?"

"I know, but-"

"That's right. To keep you safe and sound, carrot."

_That's not what I wanted to say._ Judy has to fight herself to hide her grimace.

Bellwether turns around on her hoof, and gives a solemn shrug. "Guess I always knew this day was coming," she mopes. "Knew that soon, you'd want to leave the herd."

Judy opens her mouth to say something, but Bellwether immediately swivels back around to face her. "Soon, but not _yet!"_ the sheep exclaims.

"But-"

"Shh...trust me, bird; 'Wether knows best!" Bellwether grins excitedly, indicating something very drastic to Judy:

Oh no.

She's about to hit the chorus.

"'Wether knows best, 'Wether knows best-"

Is it just Judy, or did all the one ray of sunlight immediately disappear in her tower?

"-Listen to the 'Wether. It's a raining world out there!" Judy is suddenly forcefully spun around to face the window just as a crack of lightning breaks the sky.

Wasn't it sunny just _one song ago?_

She knows that the weather often changes in accordance to the present mood of the fairy tale, but no one told her that it changed that _quickly._

"'Wether knows best; one way or another, something will go wrong, I swear!" Grabbing Judy's notepad, Bellwether flips vigorously through it, showing Judy her choice of Judy's most exaggeratedly terrifying sketches.

"Ruffians, _thugs-"_

Is it sad to say that this is the most interest Bellwether has ever shown in her artistic pursuits?

Judy tries to tip-paw away, but every direction she walks, she's somehow cut off by Bellwether and her psychic ability to sense where Judy desires to go.

"-poison ivy, tundras! Predators and foxes, the plague~"

"No," Judy bluntly replies to that last one.

"Yes!"

"But-"

"Also large bugs! Beasts with pointy teeth and...stop!" Bellwether holds out a hoof, dramatically placing the other one on her forehead. "No more...you'll just upset me."

At this point, Judy's so confused by the rapid fluctuation of moods in this song that she can't even feign emotion anymore; she's just become an emotionless lump.

Unfortunately for her, Bellwether's somehow lost all shame in these last few minutes, because she's somehow _more than willing_ to sing a song.

"'Wether's right here." Bellwether strokes Judy's ears. "'Wether will protect you. Bunny, here's what I suggest: bunch together, stay with 'Wether...'Wether knows best!"

At the rate of this song, Judy wouldn't be surprised if Bellwether suddenly broke down into dancing the can-can to emphasize her point.

And also to be done with the musical-and-dance-number quota required within every fairy tale contract.

"'Wether knows best, take it from this sheep. On your own, you won't survive!"

Judy would like to contest that point. If she's learned anything from her books (an unreliable source), then she should know at least _some_ things about forest survival (an arguable point since of her two books, one of them is a decades old dictionary and the other a picture book about occupations).

"Sloppy, idealistic, immature, clumsy...please, they'll eat you up alive!" Hooves behind her back, Bellwether walks around her in a circle, so tightly that Judy couldn't escape even if she wanted to.

Which, _trust her,_ she really, _really_ does.

"Gullible, naive...positively _positive._ And a little too, well, hmm... _cute."_

Okay, sure, those past insults to her character might have stung just a little, but calling her _cute_ was going _too_ far.

Judy bites her lips.

She's _not_ just a cute mammal. She's _not._ And if _only_ she could prove that to everyone, but _especially_ herself by just _leaving_ this tower...

"Plus-" Bellwether chimes, interrupting her thoughts. "-I believe, too demanding." Pinching Judy's cheek, Bellwether hesitantly laughs off that last comment. "I'm just saying 'cause I...l- _love_ you..." She quickly retracts her hoof off of Judy's cheek, turning around again so that she doesn't have to face Judy. "'Wether understands. 'Wether's here to help you. All I have is one request!"

Suddenly, it's sunny again. Yet, Judy is barely able to tell, because Bellwether's body blocks the ray of light, placing Judy deep in the shadows.

"Judy?" Bellwether innocently asks.

"Yes?"

"Don't ever ask to leave this tower again."

"...Yes, 'Wether."

Again, Bellwether turns around to face Judy. "Oh, Judy, I l-lo..." The rest of the word she's trying to say parts from her lips silently, and Judy can only faintly make it out as having been "love."

With a faint smile, Bellwether shakes her head. "Don't forget it; you'll regret it...'Wether knows _best."_

With that last line, Bellwether stands in the middle of the room, shaking her jazz hooves.

Well, jazz hasn't been invented yet, but that doesn't stop Bellwether from doing something cheesy anyway.

"Now, I understand that tomorrow is your birthday, Judy."

"Yes, 'Wether."

"Then I'll go back to the forest and grab some of your favorite: hay."

"Yes, 'Wether."

"Well then, goodbye, carrot."

"Bye, 'Wether."

As Bellwether heads back to the door, Judy waves to her. When she hears the crack of the door closing, and the clicking of it locking, Judy's head instinctively swerves back to face the window, back towards the radiating warmth of sunlight.

Honestly, Bellwether can sing all she wants, but unfortunately for her, Judy doesn't know how to quit.

* * *

"I can't believe you just subjected me to two songs in one sitting."

"Hey, I had to deal with that _too_ , at one point."

"Okay, but it's not the same for you because you had been _singing_ one of them."

"Well, I'm _sorry._ There's only _so much_ you can do when you're stuck in a tower for 365 days a year for seventeen years."

"Oh...well, you have a point there."

"..."

"Anyway, I thought you said that if I hustled, I would appear soon."

"Soon isn't the same as _immediately."_

"Then when is _soon?"_

"Hmm...I don't know... _soon."_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry for the long wait! I've been busy with various things for the past two months, so if this chapter sounds rushed to you, that's because I literally just wrote 2K words of it within the last five hours. Even so, I hope you enjoyed it! If there's anything you would like to share with me about this story, please feel free to! W(h)ether you liked or disliked it, laughed or didn't, I'm happy to hear anything you have to say about this chapter! Thank you! (And yes, Nick will definitely appear in the next chapter.)

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you very much for reading! Hopefully you can tell by now that, while this is entirely based off of Tangled, I'm trying to add my own personal touch to it. Apparently, my "own personal touch" means carrots. Oops? If you enjoyed it or even laughed once, please tell me! Haha, I'm trying to figure out how to balance my crack style of humor with decent prose.
> 
> Thank you again for reading! Hopefully, I'll be able to get the next chapter up soon! Also, I know I give the indication that Nick is going to appear in the next chapter, but he's actually showing up in the third chapter. He didn't hustle enough.


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